With a Silent Step

Ichigo sighed, pleased to have her boyfriend in one piece again. They were once again entering the kitchen hand-in-hand, although this time there was only Yoruichi and a strangely-dancing Urahara in the room.

"Where's everybody else?" Ichigo asked, scratching the back of her head and looking around in confusion. Yoruichi grinned at them, her head resting on her hand. No one said anything.

"Getaboushi?" she repeated, watching him wiggle around the table like a maniac. Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose, and peered closer at Yoruichi's hand.

"A ring? Congratulations, you two!" He smiled happily, and Ichigo leaned over to look at it. Yoruichi was still beaming happily, all too pleased to be able to show it off.

"Kisuke surprised me with it when he got back from the store," she said. Urahara wiggled again in response. From the dazed and utterly thrilled expression on his face, Ichigo guessed that he was feeling pretty good about it.

"Wasn't it rather sudden?" Ishida asked, sitting himself down across from Yoruichi. Urahara drifted aimlessly around them, not quite sure what to do with himself.

"We've been together for centuries," Yoruichi said lightly, her smile somehow getting even wider. "It was the natural next step."

Ichigo put her foot out, catching Urahara in the behind. "Took ya long enough," she grouched. He came down slightly from his euphoria.

"Well, I've done it now," he said, and sat down beside his new fiancee, scooting his chair as close to her as possible.

"And that's all that matters," Yoruichi said, rubbing noses with him happily. Ichigo made a disgusted face, turning to Ishida.

"Please don't lets ever act that way," she begged quietly.

"Kick me if I do," he answered, pulling his glasses off and wiping them on the hem of his shirt.

"I'd be happy te kick ya anyway," Renji announced the arrival of the Shinigami and Shinji, who filed in neatly and filled the empty seats around the table.

"What a beautiful ring!" Rukia exclaimed almost immediately. Renji looked around, and then down.

"Where?" he wanted to know, wondering what the hell she was looking at.

Rukia kicked him in the face, delicately holding her skirt down. "On Yoruichi's finger, you idiot." Hanatarou looked closer, and then beamed at the happy couple.

"Congratulations!" he offered. "Have you set a date yet?"

"They just got engaged today," Hitsugaya said snarkily. "Of course they-"
"Of course we have," Urahara cut him off. "It's going to be a year from today. Of course, you're all invited to come." he added. "And what about our other resident love birds?" he asked, smiling benignly around the table.

The reaction was immediate. Rukia and Renji leapt out of their chairs, pointing at one another in horror.

"I'm not marryin' her!"
"I won't marry him!"

They shouted in unison, and Urahara blinked at them owlishly. "I wasn't implying anything about the two of you," he said calmly. "I was referring to Ichigo and Ishida. Or didn't you notice?"

The other couple had their clasped hands resting innocently on the table, though as soon as Urahara pointed it out, Ichigo tried to pull away. Renji smirked.

"'Member what I said, Quincy," he reminded. Ishida simply glared at him from behind his glasses.

"Anyway, enough about that," Ichigo said, with typical masculine disregard. "How're you gonna get Zan back? And change me into guy again?"

Urahara's face became serious. "Well, the only way I know of to restore spiritual powers - your energy has returned, but you need to regain your power as a Shinigami, which would solve two problems. As for being a boy, well, that's going to take a little while. Have patience, though, it can be done!"

Yoruichi leaned against him, practically purring. "You're so smart, Ki-chan," she murmed.

"I'm not half as smart as you are beautiful, Yoru-chan," he whispered back, and Ichigo looked away with a disgusted face. "Alright," he announced suddenly, pulling away from Yoruichi. "Let's go, Ichigo. We're going to do this the hard way. But remember, now that you know how to find your Shinigami powers within you, grab them as quickly as you can."

Ichigo was only half-listening to him. If he was going to put her through the same torture she'd endured five years ago, then she'd have a chance to revive both Zangetsu and Shirosaki.

-

Urahara had explained that things hadn't gone exactly as they had in the past because she was still unfamiliar with her body, and he didn't want to cause any serious damage to her if she'd missed Ururu's punch this time. But the regeneration of her Shinigami powers would be the same. He knocked her out of her body, and Tessai brought the blade down on her chain of fate. Her arms were bound, and she was tossed into the pit. The only difference was this time, she had a hoard of her friends surrounding her, and cheering her on.

This time, she was going to do intentionally what she'd done by accident before.

--

"Ichigo, don't just wait, try!" Urahara shouted down to her on the second day. Ichigo had done nothing but sit in the center of the hole serenely, as though she were doing yoga.

Ichigo, what are you doing...? Ishida wondered, worried.

--

Ichigo watched her chain dissolve into itself, and tried to remember the feeling she'd had the first time this happened. She absolutely must NOT become a hollow! Shinigami...

She was a Shinigami!

-

Zangetsu appeared in front of her in the inverted world, which was crumbling yet again. He embraced her tightly, like a beloved uncle who had been gone a long time.

"Zan! I never thought I'd see you again." Ichigo found her eyes welling up with tears.

"Why are you doing this again? Surely this wasn't necessary just to bring back your abilities as a Shinigami?"

Ichigo wiped her eyes defiantly. "I wanted more than just you back, Zangetsu," she said. "Shiro's my partner."

With that, she threw herself off the side of the building, seeking among the falling pieces of reiatsu for the red one. She found it quickly, and yanked it open, seeing the familiar hilt protruding from the opening.

Instead of grabbing it, she stared, waiting. How long did this take me before? she wondered. How much is too much?

-

Ishida watched the hollow's reiatsu streaming from Ichigo's face, trying to form into a coherent mask. "This is bad," he murmured.

"This is worse than bad," Urahara said cheerfully. "I believe Ichigo-kun is doing this on purpose."

There was a resounding "What?!" from the gathered Shinigami. Urahara snapped his fan out, watching the boy-turned-girl uneasily. "She has never been content with just retaining Zangetsu. Everything she has asked me has been about Shirosaki as well. I'm afraid she's trying to draw herself back into Vizardness, rather than simply emerging as a full Shinigami."

-

"Ichigo, take the sword!" Zangetsu shouted at her, balanced precariously on the side of the building. Ichigo struggled against the raging pull of the hollow trying to completely absorb her. "Take the sword, Ichigo!"

Finally, feeling weakened beyond belief, she reached up and yanked the sword out of it's box. Everything went white.

Was it too late? she wondered, floating in nothing. Am I gone?

-

Ichigo...

Ishida watched his boy-girlfriend in the hole nervously, disliking the screams that echoed continuously off the sheer walls. Urahara was visibly nervous, and Shinji had given up entirely. He was leaning his forehead against a nearby boulder, speaking to his Zanpakutou in low tones.

Suddenly everything went completely silent.

All seven of them gathered around, peering into the hole intently. A massive shockwave of energy knocked them all backwards, and Urahara was ready with Benihime, prepared to defeat the hollow Ichigo had become. The dust cleared, and Ichigo walked out of it, wearing her shihakusho and hollow's mask. She threw the mask down to the ground, and threw herself into the group. Ishida was rocked to his core as she landed in Shinji's arms and planted a huge, wet kiss on his lips.

He wasn't any less surprised than Shinji himself, who stood stock still and waited for Ichigo's senses - which seemed to have taken leave of her - to return.

"Shinji you ugly bastard! I never thought I'd see you again!" Ichigo turned away, revealing black eyes with yellow irises. Ishida wondered if he should feel relieved or insulted it had been Shirosaki who'd kissed Shinji, seeing as how the hollow had done it with Ichigo's body. Quickly, the black melted away, leaving nothing but pure white and deep brown. It was Ichigo's turn to throw herself at Ishida.

"I can't believe he did that!" she sobbed, clutching at his shirt like he was the one who'd nearly died.

"Never mind that!" Ishida shouted, angry now that his surprise had worn off. "What the hell possessed you to pull such a stupid stunt!? You could have been killed! You idiot, don't you ever do anything like that again!"

"I won't, I promise," Ichigo murrmured comfortingly, and then withdrew slightly to look at him. "But... I had to get Shiro back. He's my partner."

-[TBC]-

No repsonses right now because I am dead. tired. and need some sleep. One, possibly two more chapters until the end! Whoot!